Armed tribesmen on Monday kidnapped two Egyptian engineers of a cement factory in the southern Yemeni province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua. The tribesmen abducted the two Egyptians working for a local cement factory to pressure the government to release a jailed member of their tribe in Abyan province, the local security official said on condition of anonymity. "Tribesmen armed with assault rifles intercepted a pick-up truck carrying the Egyptian engineers and took them by force to an unknown location," the official said. The kidnapers demanded the release of their jailed relatives from the central prison in Abyan, according to the official. Foreigners are frequently kidnapped in Yemen by al-Qaida militants or tribesmen who asked for ransoms or the release of their jailed fellows. Most of the kidnapped have been freed unharmed. Also, the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing, the most active terrorist network in the Middle East, is currently holding captive a Saudi diplomat and three westerners. Xinhuanet
